Unsafe road

From Shangri-La, it would usually take 20 minutes to go back to our villa, and vice versa. And there's only one road we're always taking, and it's not just an ordinary road because it's a "dark road". Not only literally, but there's a certain part on that road where lots of vehicular and motorcycle accidents occur every week.

Just last week, we have witnessed a motorcycle accident involving two motorcycles. 4 bodies were lying on the street and I even saw a woman who seemed to be lifeless. The ones involved weren't wearing their helmets. That's my first time to see dead or injured people at a closer distance.

Tonight, on the way back home, our service bumped into a wooden cross which was placed in the middle of the street, just a few yards away from last week's motorcycle accident. Our car swerved and all of us in the car were shocked, but thank God, nothing happened. Someone might have died there this evening as there was still no wooden cross there when we went for work at 6:30PM. It is in our local tradition (I don't know if it applies to other countries too) that if a life is taken on that part of the road, a wooden cross must be placed on that spot to remind motorists to take precaution or even say a little prayer.

And I'm just so thankful that nothing happened to us and our driver was able to regain control of the wheel. We didn't see the cross from afar because it's quite dark on that part of the road. I can't imagine what would have happened if our driver was panicky. That's the reason why I cannot drive. I'm a very panicky person and there were couple of times, when I was learning how to drive at the age of 15, when I stopped in the middle of the road and just screamed behind the wheel just because I saw a bicycle crossed suddenly. And I think my nervousness and panicky attitude just worsened through the years. But I really want to learn how to drive, maybe in a runway or a desert.

I realized how fast a life can be taken with a simple mistake or mishap. Since I entered the house this evening, I've been very quiet and can't help thinking what could have happened to us in that 2 seconds of swerving. What about our unfinished jobs on Earth? What about our loved ones who didn't have a chance to express their feelings to us? Only thing in my mind now is my daughter. And for that, I'm really thankful to God that He kept us safe.

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